Page 114 of The Man with a Treasure

“After raising a little Hell, I’ve learned a thing or two.” Her meaning was lost on me, but I listened as she further explained, “The Furies will pass through our town and move on.” Mae bent over and grabbed some leaves that had already fallen to the ground, then sprinkled them over the crispy clean cover.

Realizing this woman was no stranger to hiding, I immediately started to follow suit. “I seem to be at a loss for words.”

“The thing about age, young man, is that you get real good at reading people.” She swiped her hands together to clean them of leaves and dirt. “You’ve had a gun in my face, yet I still know you are good people.” She rested her hands on her hips. “And, as far as that beautiful woman you’re protecting, I haven’t seen that kind of innocence since my granddaughter was six.” She exhaled. “If the Hell Furies do come here, kill her before they get their hands on her.”

There was no stopping my stagger backward. “You know them.”

Staring down the road, her jaw went rigid. “I’m only telling you this so that you know you can trust me. My granddaughter is the result of a violent,” her eyes met mine again, “and I mean violent…” she struggled to finish the sentence.

Exhaling, I nodded. “I understand.”

The woman swallowed. “They left my daughter for dead.” Horror was hidden in the older woman’s blue eyes. “It’s the only reason I still have her. It is the only reason I’m blessed to now have both of them.”

Damn. I vowed, “If it comes to it, a bullet will fly.” I stared at the house that was shielding Sal and Scarlett. “No one will ever hurt her like that,” I looked to Mae so she understood what I was trying to save Scarlett from, “again.”

After a hiccup of shock, Mae’s eyes slid shut.

Back inside the house, Sal was glued to Scarlett. She even complained when turning around and bumping into him. “Sal! I am trying to be a chef!” She never noticed the gun he was palming.

“Scarlett,” I asked, “will you be angry if I speak Italian to Sal for a bit?”

“Not if it will get him out of my way.” She moved around him to get to the refrigerator. “I need cheese, please.”

“Sal!” I teased, to keep Scarlett less suspicious. “Let the woman handle this kitchen!”

“Yes,” she celebrated. “I am cooking!” Barefoot, she wore light blue pajamas with clouds on them. They reminded me of how much I wanted to touch the sky with her.

Backing away, Sal told me, “This breakfast is going to make us sitting ducks against the bikers because we will be stuck on toilets, shitting our brains out.”

My stomach soured as I witnessed Scarlett dump crumbled Blue Cheese into the pan of burning eggs. “Oh, sweet God. Protect my innards.”

“We have to eat it.”

I could feel my body start to sweat in fear. “I know. If we don’t, it will break her heart.”

“I’ll search for Pepto Bismol, but first, talk to me. Do we run with her?”

Trying to decode, I ran a nervous palm down my face. “We have a solid deal here. Mae is trying to help us.”

“Hard to find that. I can see you trust her.”

I rubbed the back of my neck.

“Shit. Lorenzo knows we have her, doesn’t he?”

“It seems so, yes.”

I explained what Mae had said to me, about the Hell Furies being so soulless.

“Maybe the Steel Stallions are not the ones with the ‘prospect’?”

I trembled, watching Scarlett add Greek olives into the now curdling and blackening eggs. “There was honor in the Stallion President’s voice. I don’t think they hurt—” I was going to say Scarlett but didn’t want her to recognize her name. “Dove.”

“Do we dare reach out to them again? Tell them where the grey-eyed girl is—was?”

“I don’t think we should do anything to draw any attention to ourselves.” I stared at our chef.

“Angelo, these Hell Furies may be headed to that house after here. That poor girl—”